Hello beauties, This month I am very excited to introduce Stephanie Richen to you! Stephanie is that “rare ray of sunshine on a cloudy day” kinda gal. I met her about a year ago and she has been lighting up my life ever since. She has a open and kind heart and she has a way of making everyone feel at home in her home away from home (AKA her 2 Pure Barre businesses in Portland, Oregon). She is a breast cancer survivor, a small business owner and a general badass. Meet Steph! Tell us a little bit about yourself: Born and raised in Seattle, I grew up with a love of animals and always had pets in our home. After high school, I became a vet technician and worked for a pet hospital for almost 8 years. I wanted to further my education, so I decided to leave the field and go back to school to become a nurse, but this time for humans. =) I was lucky enough to land a job at The University of Washington as an anesthesia technician working in the operating room with very ill patients waiting to receive a heart, lung, or kidney transplants. Because of the high stress, it didn’t leave me much time for myself or to even work out. One of my friends, Christine, told me about this workout she’d been doing called Pure Barre. She invited me to join her that night. My life changed. I worked as a tech for 3 years until my husband got a job opportunity in Portland. We moved...

Hello beauties, We are so excited to feature Rebecca Kaihani as our Portland Girl Spotlight this month! She is funny, warm and the brilliant creator of the ever popular Hillockburn Farm (you’ve “Oooooohhhhhed and Aaaaaahhhhhhed” her amazing soaps if you’ve been in our studio lately!) Everyone, meet Rebecca! ————————————– Tell us a little bit about yourself: The dreaded “about you” section…. Born and raised in the PNW, dog lover, candle lit dinners and long walks on the beach…. Oh! Wait! This isn’t a dating profile, I’m married!! Now I’ve gone and made things awkward! Better get back on track. I am the Founder/Head Maker of Hillockburn Farm and we make all kinds of natural body care products. From soaps to lotion, lip balms to salts and scrubs…we do it all. Hillockburn Farm pretty much started on its own…I never set out to be a business owner, it just started growing and growing…and growing. My husband and I were struggling to have a baby when I started looking at all the nasty chemicals that were in all the body care products we were using, so I threw it all away! I was going to make my own stuff, I mean, how hard could it be…right? Wrong! Totally hard!! UGH!! It took months to get things figured out to the point we had a fairly usable bar of soap. During those months, my husband and I suffered several miscarriages and, after the last loss, I refused to get out of bed. For weeks. I was depressed, constantly crying, had gained a ton of weight, totally lost direction, motivation and...

Hello beauties, This month on our blog I’m absolutely delighted to be featuring Jennifer Coughlin! If you don’t know her, you should. Jenn and I first started getting to know another around the time that we opened up The Portland Girl (April 2015). We both spent a LOT of time at our local coffee shop and eventually got an introduction and ever since I’ve wondered why weren’t in each others lives a long time before! I’ve always cherished my chats with Jenn. Her spirit is light and alive and she always has a smile on her face (a welcome change from most others on these dreary Winter days). I got to know Jenn a lot better over the past year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and instead of falling inwards, she started a blog to keep everyone in the loop about her progress. In the midst of all the chemo and radiation, she kept smiling and remained positive. If she was worried, she took that worry and channeled it into raising a crap-ton of money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation (read more about that below) and more than ever, Jenn led with positivity. It may sound cheesy, but I’m a big believer in role models to help get me through new things, scary things…really ALL THE THINGS. And while there is no “right way” to fight cancer, I hope that should I ever have to fight it myself, I fight it the way Jenn did (like a total badass). I never pitied Jenn, I was way too in awe of her courage and her grace to...

Hello Portland beauties! We are back at this month with our new Portland Girl Spotlight: Paisley Meekin. Paisley is one seriously tough (and fun) chicka who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for many years now. She has single-handedly whipped my butt into the best (and strongest) shape that I’ve ever been in AND she managed to make the process enjoyable. I was so stoked when we moved into our Dekum shop location and realized that she and I were neighbors. By the way, I’d like to give a big shout out to Shelby Brakken for taking the amazing photos in this interview! ————————————– Tell us a little bit about yourself: I was born and raised in the bush of Alaska. My Dad was a bush pilot and my parents owned a lodge where people from all over the world would come too. So needless to say I had a unique upbringing. I actually had to work (which I loved!) I am so appreciative of having parents with strong work ethics… it’s made me who I am today. About 8 years ago I moved to Portland. I worked as a personal trainer at a gym for a few years but then decided that owning my own gym would be MUCH better. I opened Honest Training (was Honest Personal Training aka Honestpt) about 6 years ago. I have really thrived in this world of being an entrepreneur… I LOVE it! Today we have hundreds of clients and 4 kick ass trainers. I have also expanded into doing fitness vacations. The first one is this January and we are going...

Hello beauties, This month we are thrilled to be featuring Heather Craig as our Portland Girl Spotlight. She is fierce, fun and foxy. And when I really think about it, I realize that I can’t go anywhere in Portland without some other lady in the room knowing who Heather is and exclaiming how much they love her. She took a break from her super busy schedule (of whipping butt into shape) so that she answer a few questions. Check em’ out below! ————————————– Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am an experienced retreat leader, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and the founder of Booty Luv® Fitness, the class that “shapes what your mama gave ya™”. I have lived in Northeast Portland for 7 years, and feel incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful place doing what I love. What kind of a “Portland Girl” are you? I am the kind of “Portland Girl” that donates a lot of my monthly income to feminist/environmental organizations and public radio; that loves my boyfriend and my cats fiercely; that thrives on organic food and craft cocktails; whose life/ class soundtrack is heavy with dirty bass (and no misogynistic lyrics). I am the kind of “Portland Girl” that spends the summer teaching Booty Luv® at electronic music festivals, and the spring leading international retreats. I am the kind of “Portland Girl” that invests in my health and beauty, and revels in the strength and beauty of those around me. What is your biggest outlet for your creative expression? By far, the biggest outlet for my creative expression...

Hello beauties, I first met Eva at a ladies block party earlier this year in the Woodlawn neighborhood. She has since been to The Portland Girl and plans to help us film some killer video to grow “sugar awareness”! Eva always brightens my day with her big smile and her fiery red hair. She has such a cool background and after reading this interview, I realized that I didn’t even know the half of it! (photos by Shelby Brakken Photography) Tell us a little bit about yourself: From zero to seven years old I grew up on a commune in rural Massachusetts. My idea of a good time was playing king of the hill with my brothers on a big pile of dirt. At seven I moved to the “big city” (population: 1902). Being the middle child and only girl, I developed my own unique mix of tomboy and femininity. Now, I like to get dressed up for a fancy night on the town, but I equally like playing sports and getting dirty in the garden. What kind of a “Portland Girl” are you? When I arrived in Portland, my whole body felt like it had been thirsty for years and was finally being quenched. I think the rain, the pace, the priorities, and the way nature is so fully integrated into life here, makes humans and plants happy alike. So, what kind of Portland Girl am I? I guess I’m one who has finally found her home. What is your biggest outlet for your creative expression? I am extremely lucky that my job is also...